Well this is a new one on me - eBay item 160467481173 is a TD master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders and abutments, all chromed to within an inch of their lives! Even more amazing is that there are already two bidders!

LOL Tom

t lange

Could be some of that Eastwood type "chrome" spray w/ clear coat over it? No reason whatsover to chrome or paint the stuff inside the drum that I can see.

George Butz

I agree Tom. And it is not easy nor cheap to chrome aluminum. I wonder if they tried to chrome the inside of the cylinder? I don't think that they could get all the glycol out of the pores and that would cause the chrome to flake or peel.

I wonder why the chrome plating...perhaps an attempt to coat the bores with a hard chrome wear surface?? This is commonly done with aircraft engine cylinders in order to build them back to proper diameter, while at the same time applying a very hard wear surface. This might make sense for a M/C, which I think is cast iron, but chrome does not work well on aluminum, which would be the wheel cylinders. Besides the problems of bonding, any moisture collecting in the brake fluid would eventually get through the chrome and corrode the aluminum substrate.

Steven Tobias

The hot rod set a number of years ago, were chroming the bores of their brake cylinders. As Steve Tobias has pointed out, chrome is very hard, and can corrode and if it flakes off, can cause problems. Also I would be a bit concerned with chemical compatibility of silicone-based brake fluids. Perhaps Collin Stafford can weigh in on this as this is more his field.

The current thinking is to use a porous bronze sleeve. Its relatively inert, and soft and whose qualities are well-known. Also I use DOT 4 fluid. My one experience with silicone brake fluid was a nightmare and I had to de-contaminate the entire braking system, and start all over! Never again !!